Counting device



Feb. 10, 1942. F. A. POOLE coum'me DEVICE Filed Dec. 10, 1938 2Sheets-Sheet l ITu/QTLTBP W'BdQIJbZA. Z50]? Feb. 10, 1942. F. A. POOLE2,272,478

COUNTING DEVICE Filed Dec. 10, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 405729 1.? 659 P523, 40 f5 1y Patented Feb. 10, 1942 COUNTING DEVICE Frederick A. Poole,Barrington, Ill., assignor to Production Instrument Company, Chicago,111., a corporation of Illinois Application December 10, 1938, SerialNo. 244,983

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in counting apparatus.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a counting apparatusin which the several parts are improved with a view of simplifying themanufacture of the parts, insuring accuracy of operation andfacilitating their application to their applied position withoutrequiring adjustment of the severa1 elements.

According to the invention, a plurality of numeral indicating elementsare assembled in their cooperative relation on a supporting shaft sothat the several elements may be conveniently inserted as a unitarystructure in a frame member. The said frame member serves as the bottommember of a housing for enclosing the operating parts and is formed withangularly disposed ends adapted to be flexed outwardly to permit theinsertion of the numeral indicating structure to its applied position inthe frame.

The reflex pressure of said frame against spacing washers fixed to theend portions of the shaft exerts a clamping action thereon to preventdisplacement of the shaft in the frame.

The operating means for producing partial rotations of the numeralindicating means include a double ratchet member in the form of a palletarm, a spring member therefor, and a flexible lever arm, all of whichare mounted on a shaft so that they may be inserted in the frame as aunitary structure, the end members of the frame being formed with openslots to receive the shaft. The said operating shaft is locked in itsapplied position and the pallet arm spring is maintained in a flexed ortensioned condition by the cooperation of separable plate members whichform the end walls of the housing structure. The said plate membersengage the ends I of the operating shaft and an edge of the said frameso as to hold the shaft in its applied position. A slip-over covermember which forms the top and sides of the housing overlaps themarginal portion of the end plates so as to clamp them to the framemember.

It is, therefore, a specific object of the invention to provide acounting device having the improved construction hereinabove brieflydescribed for carrying out the above stated objects and such otherobjects as will appear from the detailed description of the invention.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the fuller descriptiongiven hereinafter of the constructions shown in the accompanyingdrawings. 1

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a counting device constructed inaccordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of certain parts of the housingstructure with parts of one element broken away.

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of one of the end members of the counterhousing.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken through a portion of theoperating shaft an the housing.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken through the countingmechanism.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 56 of Fig. 5 and looking in thedirection indicated by the arrows.

Figs. 7 and 8 are sectional views taken substantially On line 6--6 ofFig. 5 and looking toward the left of said figure, and

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view illustrating a lock for holding the numeralindicating wheel shaft against arcuate movement.

Referring to the drawings, the housing is composed of a number ofseparately formed members including a base member l0, separate endplates II and .I2 and a slip-over cover l3, the latter of which isadapted to lock the other housing elements in position. The severalhousing elements are similar to the corresponding elements shown in theUnited States Letters Patent 2,046,810 dated July 7, 1936, but includesvarious improvements hereinafter described in connection with the detaildescription of the said housing elements and their cooperation with thenumeral indicating and the operating mechanisms.

The numeral indicating mechanism is composed of a plurality of numeralwheels designated A, B, C, D and E, which are rotatably mounted on ashaft l4. The wheel A indicates the unit position of a number and thewheels B, C, D and E indicate, successively, the numeral positions ofhigher order. The numeral wheels are connected in a known manner wherebya complete revolution of the unit wheel A imparts a one-tenth revolutionto the numeral indicating wheel B. Likewise the complete revolution ofany numeral wheel imparts a one-tenth revolution to the next adjacentnumeral wheel of higher order.

A ratchet wheel l5 having ten teeth of substantially the configurationshown in the drawings is secured to one side of the unit numeral wheelA.

I -The several numeral indicating wheels and the ll and are held inproper position thereon by means of spacing washers |8-|'. The saidspacing washers are fixed to the shaft and may be regarded as a Part ofthe shaft structure. The outer faces of the washers are formed withreduced portions or hubs which fit into punched openings |1|1 formed inthe angularly disposed end portions il-il of the frame member ll. One ofthe said punched openings I1 is preferably provided with an inwardlyprojecting lug 2. which extends into a recess formed in the hub portionof one of said spacing washers It so as to lock the shaft structureagainst rotational movement in the frame. Preferably, the severalindicating wheels, the ratchet wheel i5 and the shaft ll, including thefixed spacing washers l|6, are assembled in their proper relation sothat they can be inserted as a unitary structure in the end membersll-IB of the frame Ill. In order to permit the assembled indicatingmechanism to be inserted as a unitary structure in the frame, the endmembers ll-ll of the frame are adapted to be flexed outwardly, as shownin Fig. 2, to permit the ends of the shaft il and the hub portions ofthe said spacing washers |6-l6 to enter the openings l1-l1 formed in theend portions of the frame. This improved feature, over the patentedhousing structure previously mentioned, provides for a resilientclamping action on the shaft by virtue of the reflex of the end membersof the frame against the washers |5-|6 fixed on the shaft. The saidclamping action resists any tendency which the shaft, including thespacing washers |6-|l fixed thereon, may have to vibrate in the openingsi1, when the counting device is operated at high speed.

The operating mechanism comprises a shaft 2 I, a double ratchet memberin the form of an anchor pallet 22 fixed on the shaft, a resilientoperating lever arm 22, and a spring member 24 for returning the shaftand other members thereon to their normal position. The pallet arm 22 ispressed tightly upon the shaft 2 I, the latter being formed with knurledridges or teeth 25 which cut into the central opening of the pallet armand lock it in a fixed position on the shaft. One end of the arm 22 isformed with flat surfaces 26-21, the former of which is adapted toengage the edge of a ratchet tooth, during the actuated movement of theoperating arm 23, and thereby impart a partial rotation to the ratchetwheel and unit indicating wheel. When the operating lever 21 reaches thelimit of its actuated movement the surface," of the pallet arm and thesurface 28 thereof substantially fill the entire space interveningbetween two adlacent ratchet teeth of the ratchet wheel and therebyprovide a positive stop for limiting the movement of the ratchet wheel.The other end of the pallet arm 22 is rounded, as indicated at 28, andis adapted upon oscillation of the pallet arm in the opposite directionto engage over a tooth, for example, the tooth F shown in Fig. 8 of thedrawings, so as to exert a camming action on the inclined face of saidtooth and thereby impart another partial rotation to theratchet wheel I!and the unit numeral wheel attached thereto. The last mentioned movementof the ratchet wheel II is produced by means of the reflex of the spring24, one end of which engages the last mentioned end of the pallet armand the other end of which bears against the bottom of the housingmember it. The operating lever 28 is preferably a piece of flexible,resilient wire, one end of which is inserted through a hole. 2! formedin the shaft and then bent lengthwise of the shaft to At into a slot ll,as indicated in Figs. 1 and 4. A locking sleeve II is then pressed uponthe end of the shaft so as to overlie the portion of the spring wirewhich lies within the slot ll of the shaft and thereby firmly locks theoperating lever arm to the shaft. This form of connection permits quickconvenient attachment of the arm with the shaft and avoids anyaccidental displacement thereof relative to the shaft during the highspeed operation of the counting mechanism or during the vibration of thearm. The other end of the shaft 2| is grooved, as indicated at 32, so asto embrace the upper and lower edges of a slot 33 formed in one endportion is of the frame member ID. The other end member of the frame isformed with a somewhat wider slot 34 adapted to receive the other end ofthe shaft 2|. The location of the shaft 2| intermediate the shaft I4 andthe base portion III of the frame rigidities the frame.

In applying the operating mechanism to its applied position, the annulargroove I2 in the shaft is aligned with the slot 33 inthe housing frameand the said shaft is moved laterally in the said slots 23-34 to theinner ends of the slots. During this applying movement the shaft isrocked in a manner to permit the end 26 of the pallet arm 22 to passbeneath the ratchet wheel of the previously applied numeral indicatingmeans and thereby permit the opposite ends of the pallet arm to assumetheir proper position on opposite sides of the ratchet wheel. Duringthis applying movement, the diverging ends of the spring 24 are flexedtoward each other and are therefore tensioned so as to normally hold theend 28 of the pallet arm against the ratchet wheel as indicated in Fig.7. The spring tension in the said spring 24 has a tendency to move theshaft 2| laterally in the supporting slots toward the open ends thereof.This tendency, however, is resisted by the provision of the end platesII and I2 with punched openings -36 for receiving the end portions ofshafts l4 and 2| and by forming the said plates with lugs 31-21 whichfit in slots 38-" formed in the edges of the and members iI-il of theframe as shown in Figs. 2, 7 and 8. The tension in the diverging ends ofthe spring, in addition to holding the end 2! of the pallet arm againstthe ratchet wheel also holds the said lugs 21-31 resiliently against theedges of the frame members |8-|8. The said end members |--|2, except forthe said lugs 31-31, are in the form of flat plates, as distinguishedfrom the flanged plate disclosed in the said prior Patent 2,046,810, soas to simplify their manufacture. The said resilient engagement of thelugs "-41 with the edges of the frame members |8l8 serves to lock theplates H and i2 in their applied position when the slip-over cover i3 isremoved. However, when the slip-over cover I! is applied, the end platesH and I2 are further locked in their applied position by means offlanges 29 formed on the cover I! to overlie the marginal portions ofthe end members ||-|2. The lower edge of the housing is provided withlugs l3 (Figs. 1, 5, 7 and 8) adapted to be bent beneath the baseportion of the frame i0.

Before applying the said slip-over cover II, a strip of transparentmaterial III, for example, a strip of Celluloid, is positioned in theupper portion of the cover so that it is clamped between said cover andthe upper edges of the frame members il-ll and thereby provides atransparent closure for the window opening ll of the housing.

In operation the ratchet wheel I5 is given partlal rotations, bothduring the actuated moveas indicated at 42 and 43, so as to suitablyposi- 1 tion said lever with relation to any means which may be employedto actuate the same. The actuating means may be a movable element of amachine to which the arm 23 may be attached or the said lever arm may beoperated by means of a wiping contact with a movable object, such asindicated diagrammatically in Fig. 1. In either event, the flexiblelever may be readily bent, as indicated at 42 and 43, whereby the levermay be properly positioned relative to the actuating means and withoutrequiring adjustment of any of the operating parts within the housing.Furthermore, the flexibility of the arm, as illustrated in dotted lines,permits it to move beyond the arcuate travel range of the pallet arm 22and thereby compensate for any excessive movements of the actuatingmeans. The actuated movement of the lever 23 imparts an arcuate movementto the ratchet wheel l and the unit numeral indicating wheel equal toapproximately one-half the space required for one numeral on the wheel.At the end of this movement the pallet arm functions as a positive stopto prevent coasting or overthrow of the ratchet wheel. As soon as thelever 23 is released from the actuating means, the action of the spring24 returns the pallet arm 22 and lever 23 to their normal positions.During this return movement, the end 28 of the pallet arm engages overthe ratchet tooth F and functions as a cam against the inclined facethereof to impart an arcuate movement to the ratchet wheel andassociated numeral wheel corresponding to the remainder of the numeralspace. It will be seen, therefore, that partial r0- tations equal toone-half of one numeral space are imparted to the ratchet and unitnumeral wheel during both the forward and reverse strokes of the lever23.

I claim:

1. In a counting device, the combination of numeral indicating meanscomprising a shaft and a numeral wheel and a ratchet wheel associatedtherewith assembled on the shaft to provide a unitary structure, asupporting frame therefor comprising a base member having angularlydisposed end portions spaced from each other a distance less than thelength of said shaft and formed with openings to receive the ends ofsaid shaft and adapted to be flexed outwardly to permit said unitarystructure to be inserted laterally between said end portions of theframe, a second shaft mounted in openings in said end portions of theframe at a location intermediate the first mentioned shaft and the baseportion of the frame, and operating means mounted on said second shaftfor engagement with said ratchet wheel.

2. In a counting device, the combination of numeral indicating meanscomprising a shaft structure and numeral wheel and a ratchet wheelrevolubly assembled on the shaft to provide a unitary structure, asupporting frame therefor comprising a base member having angularlydisposed end portions spaced from each other a distance with openings toreceive the ends of said shaft structure and adapted to be flexedoutwardly to less than the length of said shaft and formed permit saidunitary structure to be inserted between said end portions of the frame,one of said openings being formed with an inwardly projecting lug and aportion of the shaft structure having a slot therein to receive the lugto look the shaft structure against rotation, and operating meansmounted in said frame including a shaft fitted in openings in said endportions of the frame at a location intermediate said numeral wheel andthe base portion of the frame, and a pallet arm on the shaft forengagement with said ratchet wheel.

3. In a counting device, the combination of numeral indicating meanscomprising a shaft and a numeral wheel and a ratchet wheel revolublyassembled on the shaft to provide a unitary structure, a supportingframe therefor comprising a base member having angularly disposed endportions spaced from each other a distance less than the length of saidshaft and formed with openings to receive theends of said-shaft andadapted to be flexed outwardly to permit said unitary structure to beinserted laterally between said end portions of the frame, and operatingmeans comprising an operating shaft journaled in the end portions of theframe at a location intermediate said first mentioned shaft and the baseportion of the frame, a U-shaped pallet arm fixed to the operating shaftand adapted to embrace the lower portion of the ratchet wheel, therebeing lateral slots in the said end portions of the frame for receivingthe operating shaft, whereby the operating means may be applied as aunit by lateral movement in said slot.

4. In a counting device, the combination of numeral indicating meanscomprising a shaft and a numeral wheel and a ratchet wheel revolublyassembled on the shaft to provide a unitary structure, a supportingframe therefor comprising a base member having angularly disposed endportions formed with openings to receive the ends of said shaft andadapted to be flexed outwardly to permit said unitary structure to beinserted laterally between said end portions of the frame, and operatingmeans comprising an operating shaft journaled in the end portions of theframe at a location intermediate said first mentioned shaft and the baseportion of the frame, a U-shaped pallet arm fixed to the operating shaftand adapted to embrace the lower portion of the ratchet wheel, a coiledspring on the operating shaft having an end engaging one end of thepallet arm and the other end adapted to bear against the bottom portionof the frame so as to be tensioned by the applying movement of the saidoperating shaft, there being lateral slots in the-said end portions ofthe frame for receiving the operating shaft, whereby the operating meansmay be applied as a unit by lateral movement in said slot.

5. In a counting device, the combination of numeral indicating meansincluding a shaft and a numeral wheel and a ratchet wheel assembled onsaid shaft, a supporting frame in which the said shaft is mountedcomprising a base member and angularly disposed end portions formed withapertures for receiving the end portions of said shaft and adapted to beflexed outwardly to permit said shaft to be inserted laterally betweenthe said end portions of the frame, and operating means comprising anoperating shaft journaled in the said end portions of the frameintermediate said first mentioned shaft and the base member of theframe, a U-shaped pallet arm fixed to the operating shaft and adapted toembrace the lower portion of the ratchet wheel, a coiled spring on theoperating shalt having an end engaging one end or the pallet arm and theother and adapted to bear against the bottomportionotthei'ramesoastobetensionedbythe applying movement 0! the saidoperating shaft. there being lateral slots in the said end portions oithe frame for receiving the operating shaft, whereby the operating meansmay be applied as a unit by lateral movement in said slots. and endplate members engaainl the said operating shait and each having a lugadapted to engage over an edge oi an abutting end portion 0! the saidframe member to retain the operating means in its apon position inopposition to the tension 01 said sp 4 8. In a counting device having anumeral indicating wheel and a toothed wheel having a fixed relation tothe numeral wheel, unitary operating means for the toothed wheelcomprising a shaft, a pallet arm fixed to the shaft, and a bendablelever secured to the shaft whereby the operating means may be applied asa unitary device and the lever then bent to a position ior engagementwith means tor actuating the lever.

FREDERICK A. POOLE.

